At Stonewall National Museum, Archives, & Library, when asked why we and our invaluable collections remain in Florida, our response is as Joe Saunders stated in your interview, because this is where the fight is.
We have to stand with our community, especially those who cannot leave, and we cannot permit states or cities in the United States to become "LGBTQ+ Free Zones", making it even more dangerous for queer people.
What role in the fight does Stonewall play? We are the repository for our community's history and culture. That history and culture is what we are fighting for, and it lives within our four walls. Without those treasures what would Equality Florida, Lambda Legal, or HRC be protecting? What would differentiate them from the ACLU, Amnesty, or Human Rights Watch? What separates them is our stories, protected, collected and shared by archives, libraries and museums across the nation and around the world.
As long as these collections survive, the record of our community lives on and can be shared. We agree with Joe. This is all worth fighting for.
Robert Kesten
President & CEO
Stonewall National Museum, Archives, & Library
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